


Punish the Good, for They Deserve It

by CitrineQuartz



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Arthur Morgan Lives, Arthur survives, F/F, F/M, Gun Violence, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, High Honor Arthur Morgan, Homophobia, Horses, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Internalized Homophobia, Kidnapping, Mentioned Kidnapping, Past Rape/Non-con, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism, Racism, Sage Loves Horses, Sexism, She'd kill for her horse, but thats chill, gay hehe, horse riding, maybe a little bit historically inaccurate, sage freaking hate odriscolls, sister got took, tuberculosis? never heard of her, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-04 12:08:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20470790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CitrineQuartz/pseuds/CitrineQuartz
Summary: Sage fought more than she should. She drank more than she should've too, but why shouldn't she? Everything she had was snatched away before she realized it. Her sister, Florence, had been missing for roughly a year. Her poor, sweet Florence taken by the same people who had taken her parents. Sage had promised herself that she'd find her and didn't intend to break that promise anytime soon.





	1. Trust No Fool

"Get back, ya big baby." She pushed on her mare's chest. "You won't die if I leave for a few hours." Sage pulled her other quarter horse's reins and led her through the gate, fastening it behind her. She backed her horse up before grabbing the saddle horn and swinging onto the big bay. With a quick tap of her spurs, they were off.

Today had to be a good day. She'd caught word of an unguarded stagecoach heading through Rhodes on its way to Saint Denis. Sage just needed to grab some ammo before hitting it. Should be easy enough if she was lucky. Her horse, Luna, carried her at a canter. Luna was tall and regal looking as she ran towards Rhodes. Sitting back, she gave the reins a tug. Rhodes wasn't far from her house and she was already about halfway there. It helped that her legs were strong from years of riding. Sage's mother had always called her a natural at riding and said she was as good as any man, but she wasn't sure if that was even true. Men that saw her riding were harsh, calling it an abomination or saying women weren't meant for riding. It made her even prouder of herself when she saw the looks on men's faces after beating them harshly in a race. They'd curse and stamp their feet, she'd even had to shoot a few after they got too violent with her or their own horses. She'd take the horses to a few men nearby who bought them for a decent price.

"How much for the horse?" Luna skidded to a stop at her command. A man was standing on the side of the road with greasy black hair and oily skin.

"Excuse me?"

"The horse. I've been eyein' her for a while."

"She ain't for sale." The man stepped forward in a lightning fast motion and ripped her from the saddle. She hit the ground and stood back up immediately, drawing her revolver as the man climbed onto the tall horse. Before she could get the chance to aim, a gunshot sounded and he fell to the ground. Sage rushed forwards to grab Luna's reins and start to calm her a bit. Big, empathetic eyes stared at the man who was now dead on the ground.

"You alright?" She turned to see a colored man walking over on an appaloosa, he looked like he was Indian.

"Just shaken up. I'm glad you got here before that fool ran off with her. Couldn't stand losing this one." She pulled herself back onto Luna, who snorted and reached her head around to sniff at her foot. "Had her since she was born. What's your name?" A couple more men rode up behind him, obviously concerned.

"Charles."

"You and your friends must be new. My name's Sage. I guess I'll see you around." Pushing the reins forward, Luna and Sage took off towards Rhodes once again. She didn't glance back at the men but could hear the murmuring among them. They were an interesting bunch, that was for sure. Too many guns had been strapped to their horses for them to be a robbery target, plus Charles had been too nice for her to rob with a clear conscious. Rhodes was just up ahead and Luna was starting to calm down as they approached the gunsmith. Luna slowed down until they were stopped in front of the gunsmith. Sage slid off and hitched Luna up before slipping inside.

"What's a lady like you want?" She rolled her eyes and opened up her satchel.

~~~

The gunsmith was a pain in the ass, constantly questioning why she needed this ammo. She wanted to blast his head off, but that would give her unwanted attention. To get this stagecoach, she needed to stay as undetected as possible. Luna gave a sudden whinny which snapped her out of her thoughts. Her ears were pricked to a group of men. They were watching her. With a shudder, she moved on. The stagecoach would be moving through a patch of woods that was getting closer and closer with every one of Luna's strides. Sage sat back in her seat as Luna came to a stop. She dismounted and shooed Luna away before ducking behind a tree, revolver in her hand. The stagecoach would be here any minute, ready for her to rob. She could hear the horses' hooves as they were trotting over. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her bandanna up and stepped out from behind the tree with her gun raised. "Stop and nobody needs to get shot!" The driver looked terrified as he pulled the reins.

"Gimme everything you got and I won't shoot." Her gun was pointed at his head as he threw cash at her and began to take off a ring. "'ey, keep your ring. I ain't that horrid. Now you keep this stagecoach still while I rob these guys in the back." She stepped to the side and ripped the door of the stagecoach open. "Nobody needs to die here. Gimme valuables and cash." The man in the back shook his head.

"I won't." His wife looked horrified, shaking his arm.

"Please, Harold! Just give it to her."

"I'll shoot both of ya if you don't hand your stuff over. Now!" She barked, hitting the man in the head with the gun's handle. He recoiled and quickly began to pull money out of his pockets and shoving it into the hat she was holding. His wife pulled jewelry off of her and dropped it in the hat. "Thank you for your cooperation, madam." Sage stepped out of the stagecoach and dumped the valuables into her satchel. It wasn't the best haul but would be enough to get her some new boots. She looked back at the driver. "Now get! Say anything about this and I'll make sure you get home in a box!" He took off without a thought as Sage pulled herself back onto Luna.

"Good girl, Lulabelle. Now we need to get goi-" A bullet whizzed past her head and Luna bolted, almost making Sage fall off. She looked back to see a group of men, the ones who had been watching her earlier, chasing her with guns out. They looked like O'Driscolls! Pulling her revolver out again, she shot back. A few of her bullet hit a man in the gut, making him fall off of his horse. She snapped back around and urged Luna to go faster. Her long legs helped gain more ground with each stride. Gunshots sounded as they whizzed past her. One just barely scraped her shoulder, making her cry out in pain. Another one clipped her side and made her jerk Luna to the side. Someone else was riding this way! Another group was! The hoof steps of horses sounded like thunder as she ran. Before she could whip around to shoot again, a bullet buried itself in her shoulder and another grazed her thigh. Tears had started to stream down her face as she watched a group of people begin to shoot at her attackers. They fell dead within minutes as she rode. Everything hurt and things started to blur as she stopped Luna and bent forwards, trying her best not to start sobbing. The pain was overwhelming, making her feel like she was going to pass out. Getting off of Luna would be smart, as a fall from a horse as tall as her would put her in even worse shape. The dismount was painful.

She only made it a few steps before collapsing to the ground, facing the sky. Luna sniffed at her as she struggled to stay awake. A small nicker emanated from her. "I'm... I'm not feelin' too well, Lu." Tall grass surrounded her, blocking her view of everything around her. "My shoulder is really fuckin' hurtin'. Stay here with me, okay?"


	2. Ignorance Is Truly Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She would find her sister, one way or another.

Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to roll over. Pain erupted from her left shoulder as she did, causing her to sharply gasp. "Goddammit!" It was barely a whisper. This wasn't her bed or her house. This wasn't even a house, it was a tent. She thrashed around, almost rolling off of the cot she was laid on. Her satchel that sat on the ground beside her caught her eye. Sage grabbed it and pulled it onto the bed with her. She sat up with it and opened it. Her haul from the stagecoach yesterday, it was gone. That didn't matter as much as Florence's picture being missing. The little locket she kept in her bag with her sister's picture in it, was gone.

"I think she's up, Dutch." A voice that was just barely familiar spoke from outside the tent.

"Let me check on this fine lady, Arthur." Sage heard footsteps approaching the tent and she quickly scrambled to grab the one thing in her bag that she could think of, her knife. She pulled it from a leather pocket as a man stepped into the tent. "Easy, darlin'. We wouldn't hurt an injured lady like you." Her shaky hands lowered the knife and slid it back into her satchel. He had jet black hair and fancy clothing, or fancy for an outlaw. There was a gun resting on his hip and several rings on his fingers. Something gave her the feeling that this was Dutch himself.

"Then you ain't with the O'Driscolls. That's good to know."

"Oh no, we are nothing like the O'Driscolls."

"My horse, where is she?"

"The big quarter horse? She's just over near the entrance right now." This calmed her nerves a bit and helped slow her racing heart. "Now, who are you?"

"My name is Sage Lane and the O'Driscolls ruined my life. They took my sister and you took my picture of her." He plucked something from his pocket and held it in front of her. It was her locket.

"Ah, this must be yours then."

"You also took my haul from a stagecoach."

"That, we'll be keeping. Now tell me more about this sister of yours."

"Her name is Florence Miller and her picture is in that locket. Our parents were murdered over some cattle and she was taken to punish me after I killed too many O'Driscolls. I don't know if she's still alive but I think she is because of a letter that I received that I think was her. How long have I been out? I have a pregnant horse back home who needs feedin'." He tossed over the locket and she caught it in her right hand, pulling it close to her chest.

"Only a few hours. I'm surprised you're not in more pain, given that you were shot twice."

"I have a pretty high pain tolerance." She tried to stand up but her right leg felt like it was on fire from where she could remember getting grazed by a bullet. Sage winced and sat back down.

"Now, Miss Lane, we can take care of your horse for you. You need to rest. I can't have you getting any more injured."

"Fine. My house is directly West of Rhodes. The horse you're gonna be lookin' for is a big, pregnant bay. She's hard to catch so you'll need to tempt her with food. Her joints do bother her so be easy bringing her back and keep her in the back; she kicks."

"I'll make sure to tell Arthur. We'll have her back for you soon, Miss Lane." Dutch stepped out of the tent. She could hear him talking to some other man, who was obviously questioning him. Sage was questioning him too. After all, she had no idea where she was other than in some camp with a bunch of people she didn't know. It honestly freaked her out, being injured and surrounded by people she didn't trust. She was in pain and would barely be able to defend herself in the case of someone trying to hurt her. The feeling of being dependent felt horrible to Sage. When her parents died, she relied so heavily on the people around her when she couldn't provide for herself. She didn't tell Florence about their parents for a few months out of fear over how she would react. Her sister wasn't mad, she'd just hugged the young girl close and ordered her husband to get some tea. She had let the sixteen-year old sob into her chest as she told her about what had happened. That was all gone now. It had all been taken from her. The thought of it infuriated her. Her fist slammed down on the cot as she screwed her eyes shut and started to sob.

She pried her locket open and looked at the picture of Florence. Florence had always been so much prettier than her, with pale skin and a perfectly shaped face. Sage's skin had grown scarred and tanned unevenly. Her brown eyes were dull compared to her sister's bright blue ones. Blurry eyes started to distort her features as she snapped the locket shut and fell back onto the cot. Sage's shoulder was killing her. It felt like it would be forever until she felt any better, until she could even have a chance to look at her sister's face again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all! My RDR2 Tumblr isn't active anymore, so I'm not gonna say the username. If you know who I am then that's cool! This is different than the original fic because I'm changing a lot of stuff up. Also, I'm still improving and have a long way to go until I'm a good writer so this may have some weak points in plot or other things.


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